Produce Staff

Job DetailsJob Location: Moscow Food Co-op Downtown - Moscow, ID 83843Position Type: Full-Time/Part-TimeEducation Level: High SchoolSalary Range: $15.00 - $16.00 HourlyTravel Percentage: NoneJob Shift: AnyJob Category: Retail  Join Our Produce Team! The Moscow Food Co-op is looking for friendly, energetic, and dependable Produce Staff to join our team! If you enjoy working with fresh food, helping customers, staying active, and being part of a fast-paced team, this could be a great fit. Produce Staff help create a welcoming shopping experience while keeping our Produce Department fresh, abundant, clean, well-stocked, and beautiful. This is a hands-on position that includes customer service, stocking, merchandising, receiving freight, maintaining product quality, and keeping the department clean and organized. The position supports department goals for quality, sales, margin, and service. What You’ll Do Provide friendly, helpful customer service and greet customers within 30 seconds. Stay approachable and engaged, helping customers find products and answering questions. Stock, rotate, face, trim, wash, and prepare fresh produce. Keep displays full, abundant, attractive, and customer-ready. Regularly check product quality and remove damaged or low-quality produce. Receive and put away deliveries while checking products for quality and accuracy. Maintain clean and organized displays, coolers, prep areas, and backstock. Follow food safety, sanitation, rotation, and product-handling standards. Work with a sense of urgency and take initiative to identify what needs to be done. Support coworkers and other departments, including backup cashiering when needed. Participate in department meetings, inventories, required training, and store-wide initiatives. The core stocking, rotation, merchandising, receiving, quality, and cleaning responsibilities come directly from the Produce position description. What We’re Looking For We’re looking for someone who is: Friendly and customer-focused — you enjoy helping people and creating a welcoming experience. Positive and team-oriented — you communicate respectfully and work well with others. Reliable and accountable — you show up on time, ready to work, and follow through on responsibilities. Motivated and self-directed — you stay productive and look for the next thing that needs to be done. Fast-paced but detail-oriented — you work with urgency without sacrificing quality or customer service. Open to feedback and learning — you want to build your product knowledge and improve your skills. Organized and adaptable — you can prioritize multiple tasks and adjust when department needs change. Interested in fresh, local, seasonal, organic, and natural foods. Retail, grocery, natural foods, or produce experience is preferred but not required. What It’s Like to Work in Produce Produce is an active, physical department. You’ll spend much of your shift on your feet, helping customers, stocking and rotating products, building displays, receiving freight, and keeping the department looking its best. You must be able to lift and move up to 50 pounds, push or pull carts and racks up to 200 pounds, and frequently bend, reach, squat, kneel, and stoop. You’ll also work in coolers and varying temperatures. Schedule & Availability Full-time: 35–40 hours per week Part-time: 20–29 hours per week Flexible scheduling, including mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and university breaks Must be able to stand for extended periods and lift up to 50 pounds Why Work at the Co-op? We're a community-oriented, values-driven workplace offering a supportive environment, living wages, and excellent benefits. In a recent employee survey, staff overwhelmingly said they're proud to work at the Moscow Food Co-op! All employees receive: 20% store discount Employee Profit Sharing 401(k) retirement plan participation Full-time employees also receive: Paid Time Off (PTO) Accrual Medical, dental, and vision insurance Short-term disability coverage Accidental & hospital insurance Telemedicine & mental health support Part-time employees working 20+ hours/week receive: Dental insurance Short-term disability, accidental & hospital insurance Telemedicine & mental health support     Position Summary Produce Staff are responsible for creating a welcoming customer experience while keeping the Produce Department fresh, abundant, clean, well-stocked, and visually appealing. This position stocks and rotates produce, maintains product quality, assists customers, receives freight, and supports the daily cleaning and operational needs of the department. Produce Staff are expected to work with a sense of urgency, take ownership of their responsibilities, and contribute to department goals for customer service, productivity, quality, sales, margin, and waste reduction. Customer Service Expectations Customer service is the top priority at the Co-op. Staff are expected to create friendly, welcoming, and helpful experiences for every customer. Employees should proactively greet customers (30 second rule), remain approachable and engaged on the sales floor, and respond to questions with professionalism and care.  Staff should demonstrate: Strong communication and interpersonal skills. A positive and solutions-oriented attitude. Patience, professionalism, and respect for diverse customer needs and perspectives. A willingness to learn about products and continuously improve product knowledge. Consistent attention to detail and follow-through.   Essential Duties and Responsibilities Customer Service & Community Engagement Customer service is the top priority at the Moscow Food Co-op. Produce Staff are expected to: Proactively greet and acknowledge customers within 30 seconds of entering the department or coming within the employee’s work area. Remain approachable, attentive, and engaged while working on the sales floor. Provide accurate product information, suggestions, samples, and preparation ideas when appropriate. Help customers locate products and connect them with another employee when additional assistance is needed. Handle questions, concerns, and complaints professionally and respectfully, involving a Lead, Manager, or MOD when appropriate. Maintain knowledge of Produce products, seasonal offerings, local products, and Co-op programs and events. Create a welcoming environment for all customers through patience, professionalism, and respect. Stocking, Merchandising & Product Quality Keep Produce displays full, abundant, faced, and customer-ready throughout the shift. Stock with a sense of urgency while maintaining product quality and presentation standards. Replenish and rotate displays using proper rotation procedures. Cull displays regularly and promptly remove damaged, spoiled, dated, or low-quality products. Trim, wash, bundle, and prepare produce according to department standards. Accurately record shrink, waste, and discarded products. Maintain accurate signs, pricing, labels, and product information. Create attractive displays and support seasonal merchandising, promotions, resets, and department initiatives. Monitor displays throughout the shift and take initiative to address holes, low inventory, quality issues, or presentation concerns without waiting to be directed. Receiving & Department Operations Receive freight and verify deliveries for quality, quantity, damage, and accuracy. Report discrepancies and complete required receiving, invoice, and credit documentation. Label, organize, rotate, and properly store incoming freight and backstock. Maintain organized coolers, walk-ins, prep areas, storage areas, and backstock. Monitor cooler temperatures and department equipment and promptly report problems. Complete opening, closing, cleaning, stocking, and other assigned department tasks. Work efficiently and prioritize tasks based on customer and department needs. Support inventories, cycle counts, department meetings, and store-wide initiatives as required. Cleanliness, Food Safety & Department Presentation Maintain produce cases, wet racks, coolers, prep areas, storage areas, displays, floors, and work areas in a clean and orderly condition. Completes assigned daily cleaning and scheduled deep-cleaning tasks. Follow all food safety, sanitation, product-handling, and storage procedures. Maintain a safe environment for customers and employees. Obtain and maintain a current Idaho food safety card. Immediately address or report spills, hazards, damaged equipment, temperature concerns, and other safety issues. Co-op-Wide Employee Standards Customer Service & Communication Provide excellent customer service by creating friendly, welcoming, and helpful experience for every customer. Remain approachable, attentive, and professional while assisting customers, coworkers, and vendors. Communicate effectively with supervisors and team members regarding customer concerns, product issues, and operational needs. Offer product suggestions and respond to questions with professionalism, patience, and respect for diverse customer needs and perspectives. Maintain a positive, solutions-oriented attitude and continuously build product and operational knowledge. Teamwork & Professionalism Work cooperatively with all departments to support a respectful, inclusive, and team-oriented workplace culture. Demonstrate flexibility by assisting in other areas of the store, including cashier backup and cross-department support as needed. Follow the direction of the Manager on Duty (MOD) and contribute to department and store-wide initiatives. Assist with staff training and participate in Co-op meetings, inventories, and required training. Operations & Accountability Maintain excellent attendance, punctuality, and scheduling flexibility, including arriving on time and following break and time-off policies. Follow established opening, closing, safety, and operational procedures. Maintain accurate use of scheduling and timekeeping systems and assist with shift coverage when needed. Ensure a safe, organized, and professional environment for customers and staff through attention to detail and follow-through.  QualificationsRequired Commitment to the mission, values, and goals of the Moscow Food Co-op. High school diploma or equivalent; retail, natural foods, grocery, or produce experience preferred. Friendly, outgoing, positive, and customer focused. Reliable, dependable, and able to maintain regular and predictable attendance. Motivated and self-directed with a strong sense of urgency.  Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment. Strong communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Ability to organize and prioritize multiple responsibilities. Ability to work independently while contributing positively to a team. Willingness to learn and ability to give and receive feedback professionally. Basic computer and math skills. Hold or obtain a current Idaho food safety card. Ability to work weekends, evenings, early mornings, and holidays as scheduled. Willingness and ability to meet the changing requirements of the position. Strong organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Ability to work independently while contributing positively to a team environment.  Physical Requirements Ability to stand and walk for extended periods. Frequently lift, carry, push, and pull up to 50 pounds. Ability to move carts and product loads weighing up to 200 pounds. Frequent bending, reaching, squatting, kneeling, and climbing ladders. Ability to work in varying temperature environments including coolers and outdoor receiving areas. Ability to safely operate department equipment and tools. Visual acuity sufficient to review invoices, inventory reports, pricing information, and department displays. The job duties, responsibilities, skills, and the requirements and conditions listed in this job description are representative only and not exhaustive of the tasks that an employee may be required to perform. The employer reserves the right to revise this job description at any time and requires employees to perform other tasks such as circumstances or conditions of its business, competitive considerations or the work environment change.